Grand Prix, Branded Content at the Spike Awards

I thought I’d share the work that won the Grand Prix in Branded Content at the The Spike Awards that I was judging in Singapore last week.

It was an inspiring, if not full-on week where we watched and discussed (and discussed again) and then judged over 180 entries.

The most surprising theme to see emerging was the strength of fiction content, which was exciting as in previous awards, it has always been the weakest category.

The Grand Prix for Branded Content Fiction integration was by TDK in China/Taiwan for a branded content piece called “House of Little Moments”. It was one of the clear winners for me and the jury team.

Why it won:

The narrative is soft and gentle, and doesn’t contain the brutal punch lines or hard hitting drama expected by an Australian audience. The narrative is perfectly crafted for it’s intended Taiwanese audience.

It’s craft, as the series goes on, the craft gets stronger (I since found out this was due to initial budget restrictions). The last film has beautiful symmetrical properties that almost seem Wes Anderson influenced.

For those who’ve heard me bang on about the tiered content plans, you won’t be surprised to hear that the clear sense of strategic thinking that comes across was what stood out for me. There were brand TVCs, there are the engaging narrative pieces that link through to utility content (recipe videos) and there was even a noodle bar pop up that opened up and much potential for the lower tier social content.

The product integration was central yet not forced.

There were direct results to purchase.

Well done to the team at TDK Taiwan for such a strong and beautiful piece of work. Love it!